


Rising Storm

by Audinosaurus



Category: Kamen Rider Kuuga
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-08 23:12:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3227069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audinosaurus/pseuds/Audinosaurus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Godai/Ichijo AU in which Ichijo runs a tattoo shop and Godai runs a flower shop. Ichijo helps Godai when the storm rolls in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rising Storm

It'd taken three hours. Three hours to get every single bit line perfect on the chest of his current client. 

All the way down the chest, hundreds of perfectly symmetrical, overlapped hexagons, fitting together like a puzzle. 

Ichijo Kaoru was an incredibly detailed, precise artist. He'd been tattooing since he hit 19, after being dared to attend a course on the art by a friend. There was something wonderful in being able to create these works of art through endurance and pain. He only had one tattoo, himself. Across the bottom of his stomach was a thin stripe, all the way from hip to hip. He'd done it just to see what it was like and never again.

As he stripped his gloves and wiped his brow, he glanced out the window nearby. It was barely raining, drops condensing onto the glass, but someone was outside, tending to a mass of plants on a window still as though nothing was in the way.

Ichijo vaguely recognized the figure as Godai Yuusuke. Two to three times a year, Ichijo would call-in an order to the shop next door for a bouquet of some type or another for his mother. Never once had he stepped foot into the buildling, despite walking past it several times a week. 

Godai reminded Ichijo of Stevie Nicks, in some ways. There was something mystical about him, as though he was an otherworldy witch or fairy. It certainly wouldn't be surprising if he was a witch; Godai seemed to have an unmatched green thumb.

Godai ran a florist shop, aptly named 2000 Petals, which was very popular across the city and beyond. The owner was adept at finding bizarre flower combinations, doing all sorts of over the top arrangements and including all kinds of out of season flowers. The shop itself was full to the brim of flowers with vines, tables, and pots visible from the storefront.

No one quite understood it. It was as though the shop had it's own ecosystem, with Godai as it's caretaker.

Ichijo had never spoken to him personally. They both kept to their own shops with seperate, but surprisingly large, fanbases that rarely collided.

Ichijo admired Godai, as ridiculous as he was. They'd never spoken, but he'd overheard descriptions of Godai before. He was a free spirit, he loved everyone, his smile was like puppies (he'd heard that one from a middle schooler coming in with her older brother).

He admired the shape of Godai's body for a moment more, crouched down to examine the tiniest of leaves, before forcing himself to his client, providing instructions for aftercare and maintenance, offering his services for touch ups.

A week later, a storm rolled in.

Everyone had thought it wouldn't hit their city, and they were wrong. Ichijo was prepared, of course. He erred on the cautious side of everything. Godai, on the other hand, had just gotten back into town and hadn't had time to prepare as thuroughly. 

Godai was making good time at getting all of his outdoor plants into the safety of the inside, but it wasn't quite quick enough. It was already raining and it was getting harder by the minute. Ichijo couldn't help but notice it from the inside of his shop, brow furrowing.

He fought himself over it for a moment. It was warm and comfortable and safe inside the shop, after all. No one would blame him for not going out, but his morality was too strong. Ichijo sighed at he grabbed his coat and headed out, braving the cold rain.

"Let me help." He tapped Godai's shoulder, causing the other man to jump slightly.

"Eh?" Godai looked through the small tree-like plant he had his arms wrapped around.

"It'll go quicker with a second person." Ichijo explained. "Let me help."

Godai's confusion faded into a smile as he re-hoisted the tree up, preventing it from sliding back down. "Those three on the ground-- Take them."

Working as a pair, it only took them a few minutes to get the rest of the plants inside. Ichijo had more arm muscle than Godai, it seemed, which helped with the heavier plants.

Once the last plant was delivered inside, Ichijo sighed in relief, glad that it was over. He was soaked to the bone, and his jacket hadn't helped at all. He couldn't imagine how cold Godai was without a coat or even a long sleeve shirt on, not that Godai showed any signs.

"Stay over for a while." Godai offered, reaching for Ichijo's hand to pull him inside, and as much as Ichijo'd wanted to go back, the second Godai touched him, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave. It was like electricity running through his fingers.

The inside of the shop really did look like it's own ecosystem. Even the ceiling had vines growing on it. Ichijo briefly wondered if that was a fire violation before his eyes fell across a motorcycle in the corner.

"Is that yours? Inside?" Ichijo asked, furrowing his brow once more. Godai brought up so many questions.

"Oh! Yeah!" Godai answered, grabbing a towel from a supply closet nearby and throwing it to Ichijo. Ichijo quickly dried his hair and face. "It's too wet outside to leave it outside, so I had to bring her in."

"You drive a motorcycle?"

"Yeah! It's easier that way. There's no point in someone like me having a car." Godai laughed, as though it was obvious, and Ichijo thought he just seemed like someone who wouldn't drive a car.

Ichijo fell quiet, examining the room and losing himself in all of these strange plants, when suddenly Godai was in front of him, both of his hands wrapped around one of Ichijo's. 

His thumbs were running along the lines, examining the callouses that'd come from years of work. Ichijo's face burn up as he watched how Godai was entranced in him and he was relieved beyond compare when Godai let go of him.

"I know you!" Godai announced. "You're from Mr. Handsome's Ink next door, right?"

"It's actually--" Ichijo started to correct him, but sighed and gave up. It wasn't the first time. Thart wasn't even close to the name of his shop. "Yes."

Godai laughed, amused at how exasperated Ichijo was. "Sorry, sorry. A lot of people love that place, though. I've seen some of your work. It's gorgeous."

"I work very hard to make sure everything I do is perfect." Ichijo nodded, taking pride in it.

"I got a tattoo, once. Years ago." Godai continued, not hesitating to pull up his still-soaked shirt to show it off. Ichijo knew he shouldn't have, but he knew his cheeks warmed once more as he looked.

They were beautiful tattoos, hardly warn by the passage of years-- Through good care, no doubt. Across Godai's chest, down the right side of his ribcage, were a multitude of asymmetrical, colorful flowers. It wasn't messy, but it was sporadic and unevenly spaced, nothing like any of the word Ichijo had done.

"I was thinking-- " Godai added, finally putting his shirt down after what seemed like forever (to Ichijo). "I should get a few more. You'd be up to it, right?"

Ichijo was startled out of his thought by the question, looking up quickly. "Of course. I can find time. Do you have any ideas on what you'd like?"

"I'd rather just get something freehand." Godai replied, confident. "I wouldn't go to an artist I didn't trust to have their way with me."

Ichijo decided against saying that he didn't usually do freehand work. He gave a nod and fell quiet, watching Godai adjust and check through the plants now that things had calmed down.

"Y'know, you could stay here until the rain stops. I'd hate to see you have to go back out in that." Godai added, once he'd finally finished making sure every plant wasn't flooded.

"It's not a problem." Ichijo answered quickly.

"I want you to stay!" Godai insisted, and Ichijo knew he had no choice.


End file.
